Corn flakes: health benefits and harms

The modern world is designed in such a way that people often rush somewhere in the morning. And they are unlikely to have time to prepare a full breakfast. Therefore, as a rule, many families for breakfast are not satisfied with healthy omelettes or oatmeal, but with dry snacks in the form of corn flakes. And they are useful or, conversely, harmful, it is worthwhile to figure it out.

Composition and calorie content

The properties of corn flakes depend not only on the basic composition, but also on the characteristics of the constituents that supplement the product, depending on the manufacturer. Often in this case vitamins of synthetic origin are used.

If you do not take into account additives, the pure product contains the following useful components:

• a large number of vitamins, such as A, PP, B, H, E;
• amino acids;
• fiber;
• starch;
• micro and macro elements, such as zinc, cobalt, copper, potassium, sodium.

100 g of product contains from 260 to 360 kcal. The value of the indicator depends on the additives introduced into the product by the manufacturer. It increases due to the addition of synthetic components and sugar, which is used to increase shelf life.

It is worth paying attention to that at ½ cup cereal contains at least 8 teaspoons of sugar. To reduce the effect of this food on the level of glucose in the blood, it is recommended to fill them before using natural yogurt without additives or kefir. This will maximize the benefits of breakfast.

What are corn flakes good for?

General benefit

The beneficial properties of cornflakes are a moot point. Since many manufacturers save on raw materials and add low-quality additives, the product can harm the body. But if you use a quality product in its pure form, it is noted that cereals not only do no harm, but also have a beneficial effect.

Corn flakes are known to contain a substance such as tryptophan. When ingested, this component is converted to serotonin, which increases brain activity, as well as the optimistic mood of a person, which positively affects the mood in general.

Glutamic acid present in the product increases the rate of metabolic processes in the human brain, and starch strengthens nerve cells. Therefore, with the regular use of corn flakes, quick wits are increased, as well as memory is improved, and the nervous system is strengthened.

Eating cornflakes is good for people with anorexia. This is due to the fact that food very quickly saturates the body, while at the same time, for a very short period, hunger replaces saturation. This allows us to conclude that cereals stimulate appetite and help people who forget about eating on time.

For women

A good advertising campaign inspired many women with the belief that eating cornflakes regularly can not only gain extra pounds, but, on the contrary, they can be lost. But this is not so. This is due to the following characteristics of this food:

1. High calorie content.
2. A large amount of sugar, which is added not only in the production of the flakes themselves, but also found in the glaze.
3. High glycemic index.
4. The content in the composition of simple carbohydrates, which lead after administration to the rapid onset of hunger.

Therefore, with the regular use of corn flakes, it will not be possible to be slim.

For men

For men, the benefits of cornflakes can only be to strengthen muscle tissue.

During pregnancy

There is no reason to ban corn flakes for women who are expecting a baby. In this position, girls have a need for vitamins, useful components, minerals, organic acids, especially since taste preferences at this time can be the most unpredictable. Thanks to cereal, you can fix digestive problems.

But the last dates in pregnant women are characterized by low mobility, and physical activity is completely absent. Therefore, it is recommended to exclude cereal intake starting from 36 weeks. This is due to the fact that at a period of 37 weeks, a woman will start to store fat, and they will receive their fruit daily. About this will be about 30 g. So, the mass of the child will increase, and this will adversely affect both him and his mother.

When breastfeeding

When breastfeeding, eating cornflakes is not harmful, on the contrary, it will positively affect the work of the gastrointestinal tract, because the product contains organic acids and minerals. In addition, they will reduce blood cholesterol and normalize the work of the heart muscle.

The main component of flakes is corn flour, which has the property of reducing pressure and cleansing the walls of blood vessels. In addition, the product will not harm the baby, because it does not contain components that cause allergic reactions. Together with milk, the child will also begin to get used to the taste of corn porridge, which will later be used as complementary foods.

It is important to pay attention to the composition of the cereal when buying. They should not contain gluten or any trace of it. Only such a product can be consumed by a nursing mother.

For children

Recently, the number of children suffering from obesity has been growing dramatically. Therefore, nutritionists and other specialists in this field are researching the causes. For some time they watched a group of children of the age category from 5 to 10 years. As a result, it turned out that those who eat cornflakes daily for breakfast, already a year later suffer from overweight.

In addition to problems with obesity, it is worth paying attention to the fact that you can feed children cereal no earlier than after reaching the age of three. It is by this time that the nervous system will be fully formed. The same applies to the gastrointestinal tract and the circulatory system.

When losing weight

According to a large number of nutritionists, it is believed that a mono-diet based on the use of corn flakes is one of the most effective. Proper compliance with all conditions leads to very rapid weight loss.

In such a diet, cereals are the main product. Everything is very simple and effective. A special merit of such weight loss is that there is no need to waste time cooking and observe difficult conditions. In addition, due to the sweet taste of this product, the desire to eat sweet and starchy foods is reduced. It should be noted that the duration of such a course should be no more than 1 week.

The nuances of a cornflake diet
When deciding to try a diet based on cornflakes, it is recommended to pay attention to the following nuances:

1. It is important to pay attention to the composition of the flakes used. They should contain the smallest amount of not only sugar, but also other harmful additives.
2. It is forbidden to abuse the product. Preliminarily, it is worth calculating the amount of the daily norm, which depends on physical activity.
3. When dieting, it is advisable to eat cereal in the morning, remembering that the more varied the menu, the easier it is to force yourself to go through the chosen method of losing weight.This will also reduce the degree of harm of such nutrition to the body.
4. We must not forget that cereals belong to the category of fast carbohydrates. Therefore, after eating, soon there will again be a feeling of hunger. Therefore, it is not recommended for beginners to start immediately with such a diet - it is very difficult to sustain it.
5. The daily norm of the corn product should not be more than 60 g. In addition, it is recommended to fill them with non-fat milk or sour-milk products.

Many nutritionists recommend corn porridge instead of corn flakes. It is useful, more fully saturates the body.

Are cornflakes good for breakfast

Do not think that cornflakes for breakfast will fully saturate the body and replenish the supply of useful components. The biggest danger of this product is in its high glucose content. Therefore, for diabetics, cereals are prohibited. Yes, they themselves can cause type 2 diabetes.

If you eat a corn product in the morning, this will lead to an instant increase in insulin. As a result, the feeling of hunger will appear much faster than in the case of taking any other food in the morning.

It will be much more useful to include in the diet a product as a regular snack. Especially if it is sugar-free cereal, which is much healthier than buns or muffins with syrups and icing.

Cornflakes in medicine

In some diseases, eating corn flakes is contraindicated. This may be due to several reasons.

With diabetes

In case of diabetes of the first or second type, the use of flakes is allowed only if there are no additional components there. In general, they can even have a beneficial effect, as they contribute to the production of insulin.

When eating cereal with glaze, the amount of sugar in the blood can increase, but the insulin produced by this will cope with this problem. But this also depends on the amount of food eaten. It is better not to take risks and eat cereal with tea or kefir. For patients with type 2 diabetes, this product is especially useful because it allows the body to cope with an increase in blood sugar on its own.

Important: glycemic index of corn flakes - 80 units.

With pancreatitis

With pancreatitis, people always have to leave the usual food and carefully monitor the consumed foods. But corn itself is not a contraindication here, especially if a healthy and tasty porridge is made from it. But this applies only to the period of remission, but with an exacerbation of the disease, it is worth completely eliminating the product from the menu. The same goes for corn flakes.

With gastritis

With a disease such as gastritis, gastroenterologists do not recommend eating corn flakes. This is due to the fact that such a load on an already sick stomach can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.

You can often hear that corn flakes can be beneficial for any disease of the gastrointestinal tract. But you should pay attention to the composition of the product, which always indicates that it contains gluten. It is added to give flakes an attractive taste and smell. For the development of gastritis nothing more is needed, except for food in the form of breakfast cereals or foods with high fat content. As a result, a person may need emergency medical care. And it’s good if everything will cost a few droppers. It’s bad if the disease develops into something more serious.

For constipation

For problems such as constipation and colitis, corn flakes are recommended. This is due to the fact that the product contains a large amount of fiber, which helps to normalize the metabolic processes of the body, and also stimulates the full functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

With gout

Most of the composition of corn flakes is peeled and crushed grains, water, licorice syrup, sugar and salt. All of these components are harmful to people with gout. But at the same time, they are saturated with corn starch, which favorably affects the formation of muscle tissue, as well as its growth.

In addition, the flakes revealed the content of pectins, which are responsible for the regulation of metabolic processes, macro- and microelements that saturate the body with useful components. That is why in moderate doses, the consumption of corn flakes in the case of gout is allowed.

With cholecystitis

Cholecystitis, especially in acute form, requires a strict diet. If the question concerns the first days of exacerbation, then you need to completely abandon eating. On the remaining days, you need to develop your diet, including products from the list of allowed.

Features of nutrition with cholecystitis:

1. There should be about 5-6 meals per day.
2. The portion for each reception should fill no more than 1/3 of a plate.
3. The completion of each meal should be accompanied by a slight feeling of hunger.
4. Food temperature should not be too hot - room temperature or slightly warmer.
5. You can not immediately drink food with tea or water, you should wait at least 40 minutes.
6. The final meal should be completed at least 2 hours before going to bed.

As for the intake of corn flakes, with cholecystitis, the use of any fast food is prohibited. Cereals, chips and other similar products fall into this category.

Harm and contraindications

When you purchase a product, you must be very careful about viewing the composition. This will help protect against harm to health. You need to choose corn flakes that do not contain sugar and other additives. After all, the product itself is very high-calorie, because it consists not only of flour, but also of other food components. And if you also supplement this product with honey, sugar syrup or yogurt, then you can gain a lot of excess weight in the shortest period.

It is also important to pay attention to the fact that flakes are very nutritious, but quickly digestible, therefore they lead to a sharp jump in insulin. And from this it follows that the feeling of hunger arises after such a snack very quickly.

Eating cornflakes is fraught with some dangers:

1. Vitamins that could be contained in the flakes are destroyed due to powerful processing in the manufacturing process. And vitamins of artificial origin, added to the product in the future, can even harm the body. This is confirmed by studies by German scientists who have shown that the complex intake of vitamins can lead to the growth of malignant tumors.
2. Do not start the breakfast of an adult or a child with a sweet, because a diet set in this way will sooner or later lead to diabetes and a violation of food cravings.

Of course, you can eat corn flakes, but in moderation, especially since the vitamins that are still contained in the product can be found in other foods that are useful and of high quality.

There are cases when the use of corn flakes is strictly contraindicated:

1. Chronic caries diseases, because the product has a high sugar content.
2. Tendency to allergic manifestations.
3. Individual intolerance to the individual components of the product.

And it is worth noting that the recommended use of cereal is a snack between breakfast and lunch. And in no case can you bring them into the diet in the form of constant food.

How to choose and store

When choosing cornflakes, you must initially pay attention to the composition.Ideal when the product is made from water, cornmeal and salt. These ingredients are enough to make the flakes get the usual look, but at the same time do not become high-calorie.

Of course, thanks to sugar, various syrups or honey, the corn product becomes much tastier, but also high-calorie. Therefore, it is not recommended to include such food in the diet menu.

Vitamins that are part of the main ingredient - cornmeal, are not indicated on the package. Therefore, if it is marked “Vitamins”, it will only mean that the product was additionally fortified during the production process.

When purchasing chocolate flakes, you should also pay attention to the composition of the glaze itself. An excellent option would be an additive in the form of natural cocoa or cocoa butter.

As for the shelf life, they are long in cereals. But at the same time, the creation of acceptable conditions is mandatory. An important role is played by the ambient temperature and the characteristics of the selected location. It’s good to use special containers made of glass or cardboard. The place should be dry, without a sharp change in temperature and humidity indicator. If all of the above conditions are met, then the product can be stored and consumed within 12 months.

How to make cornflakes at home

Making cornflakes at home is simple enough. This will require corn grits, sugar and water.

The stepwise preparation of the product is as follows:

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water in equal proportions, and then cook over low heat until a homogeneous, slightly thickened syrup is obtained. In the process, the composition must be constantly interfered.
2. Then pour corn grits into the syrup and cook until a dense, dense mass is obtained. This process will take several hours.
3. Then remove the composition from the stove and wait for it to cool. After that, form a layer and roll it out using a rolling pin.
4. Then divide the stratum into small pieces using a knife. Also, it can simply be crumbled into small components.
5. Send them to the oven and fry them at 300 ° C until the flakes have a pleasant golden hue.

After cooling, you can use the product, pouring it with milk, dairy products or jelly.

What can be made from cornflakes: recipes

There are many interesting options for cooking based on corn flakes. Consider the most interesting of them.

Chocolate Muffins

Such "cupcakes" will be just a godsend for tea drinking. They can easily replace any cake or candy. Chocolate lovers recipe will especially please.

To prepare, the following steps are required:

1. Put 80 grams of cornflakes in a bag and grind thoroughly using a rolling pin.
2. Melt butter in an amount of 50 g in a water bath.
3. In a water bath in a separate bowl, also melt 100 g of dark chocolate, which is previously broken into pieces. So the process will go much faster.
4. Combine the melted butter and chocolate in a common container, add 5 tablespoons of natural honey and send it all back to the water bath.
5. When the mass becomes uniform, pour out prepared cereal. Mix the composition thoroughly.
6. Grease special forms for muffins with a small amount of butter, and then distribute the resulting dough to them.
7. Send to the refrigerator for solidification.

Cookies

Cornflake cookies are hardly suitable for a festive table, but for a quiet family evening this is a good option. What is the cooking process:

1. Put 3 egg whites in a blender bowl, add ¼ teaspoon of salt and beat for 1 minute. Then slowly add 100 g of sugar and beat until a stable white foam is obtained.
2. Cut 100 g of dried apricots into small pieces, and chop 100 g of walnuts, but not to a powder state. Walnuts can be replaced with any other (hazelnuts, peanuts or almonds) - this will not affect the taste and even possibly improve it.
3. Grind 100 g of corn flakes into crumbs. For these purposes, you can use a blender or rolling pin.
4. To whipped whites, put 200 g of whole corn flakes, all chopped flakes into crumbs, pieces of dried apricots, as well as chopped nuts. Gently mix the composition to evenly distribute all elements.
5. Cover a convenient baking sheet with baking paper, grease with a small amount of butter, and then spoon the prepared dough in the form of small crusts.
6. Heat the oven to 180 ° C and send the pan there. Baking time will be about 15 minutes. You need to navigate by color. The finished treat has a pleasant caramel tint.

Corn flakes casserole

A corn-based casserole is a good breakfast option. It can be served with fresh berries or sour cream.

The preparation is as follows:

1. Fat-free cottage cheese in the amount of 400 g, grind in a convenient bowl with 3 chicken eggs.
2. Add to the mass 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 150 ml of milk, a teaspoon of vanilla sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder for dough and 250 g of corn flakes. Mix the composition thoroughly.
3. Grease a suitable baking dish with butter. It will take about 1 tablespoon. Then sprinkle with semolina and evenly lay out the prepared dough.
4. Grease the surface of the dough with 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
5. Preheat oven to 180 ° C and bake for 20 minutes.

Sweets

A very simple recipe for a delicious homemade treat.

How to cook:

1. Add 100 teaspoons of sweet soy sauce to corn flakes in an amount of 100 g. Stretch your hands well so that the sauce is completely distributed over the cereal, which will eventually become much softer. Flakes can also be diluted with a small amount of candied fruit, granola or nuts.
2. Melt 100 g of dark chocolate in a water bath or microwave and add to the cereal.
3. To stir thoroughly.
4. Put on gloves, it will be more convenient and hygienic, and form balls or pyramids from the resulting mass. As a decoration, you can use coconut flakes or sesame seeds, in which to break formed sweets.
5. Leave to solidify. You can even send it to the refrigerator. After that, you can enjoy a delicious dessert.

Cornflakes Chicken Chops

Cooking chops consists of the following steps:

1. Cut one chicken fillet into pieces and beat off a little with a kitchen hammer.
2. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper, mix and pour 1 cup of milk. If this amount is not enough to completely cover the meat, then you can add boiled water. Leave for 2 hours.
3. Now do the batter. Drive 2 chicken eggs into a container. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Beat thoroughly using a whisk. Add ½ cup flour and mix again. To the mass add milk drained from chicken meat. Stir again.
4. Grind corn flakes in the amount of 4 tablespoons using a rolling pin and also send to batter. Mix well.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, dip chicken in prepared batter and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Corn flakes have a little sweetness, so the taste of chicken chop is interesting and unusual.

Interesting facts about corn

1. Corn is the main for a large number of products. In this case, not only grains can be used, but also other parts of the plant. Various animal feeds, plastic, plaster, alcohol, paste are produced from this raw material.
2. Corn contains almost all the useful components necessary for the human body. Therefore, you can eat only this product and feel great.
3. Corn flakes were invented back in 1898. In the state of Michigan, owners of a nursing home wanted to prepare a cornmeal meal for their patients. In the process of cooking, the cook was distracted, as a result of which the dough curled up and, as it seemed, deteriorated. But there was nothing to bring to the table, and the spoiled dough was fried on both sides and still served. Patients liked the dish and have since been served since then in sanatoriums.

Cornflakes may not always be beneficial, especially if consumed in unlimited quantities. In order for such food to be beneficial, nutritionists recommend mixing them with kefir, low-fat yogurt, as well as supplementing with chopped fruits or berries. This will slow down the absorption of the consumed components and prolong the feeling of satiety.

Photo of Corn Flakes